Bb Livermore comes out of key race vs. tougher

EmailThe conditions of the race are the same as in his previous start, but the competition will be far less imposing when Bb Livermore makes his local debut against nine rivals in Saturday's $24,500 allowance feature at Calder.

As was the case in his last start, on Sept. 3 at Saratoga, Bb Livermore will be facing horses who have never won two races lifetime, although this time he will be stretching out to 1 1/16 miles on the grass instead of racing seven furlongs on dirt. And Bb Livermore won't be up against the likes of Steve's Double, Elusive Value, or Temecula Creek, the first-, second-, and fourth-place finishers in his previous outing.

Steve's Double came out of that race to win the Grade 3 Perryville Stakes at Keeneland and the Tenacious Handicap at Fair Grounds, Temecula Creek earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 94 beating first-level allowance opposition when he wheeled back three weeks later, and Elusive Value finished second under similar conditions at Belmont.

Bb Livermore opened his career by finishing second or third in five consecutive starts, a string that included a third-place effort over the Belmont turf course on July 14. A son of Mt. Livermore, Bb Livermore finally graduated in a seven-furlong maiden dash at Saratoga on Aug. 13, rallying five wide and from the rear of the pack to post a three-quarter-length decision.

Bb Livermore is bred to handle grass, as he is a half-brother to three multiple turf winners, including the Grade 3 stakes winner Grand Charmer. Cornelio Velasquez, who rode Bb Livermore in his only previous turf appearance, will get a return call from trainer Barclay Tagg.

David K, Montfort, and This Cat's Unreal are the only members of the field to have already won around two turns on grass. David K may be the best of the group, as he won a maiden race and finished third against first-level optional claiming competition earlier this year at Arlington Park.

* Mysterious Peintre, who posted his first victory in the U.S. when he rallied to a three-quarter-length decision over Fearless Eagle in the Mel's Hope Stakes on Dec. 9, worked four furlongs in 48.01 seconds at Calder on Thursday morning. Mysterious Peintre is expected to wheel back in the $100,000 Pete Axthelm Stakes on the Dec. 29 Grand Slam III card.

* Change Up, among the nominees for the $100,000 Chaposa Springs Handicap on Grand Slam III, also worked at Calder on Thursday, vanning over from Gulfstream Park to breeze five furlongs in 1:01.59.